From In Sight:
Why are there no large drug cartels in the U.S.? The short answer is because it has lots of small ones. A longer answer might be that there are large drug cartels: they are called prison gangs. These organizations maintain a tight grip on street gangs, which are the primary retail distributors of drugs in the United States. Prison gangs provide crucial protection for jailed members of these groups, and recruit from their ranks. They also negotiate the relationship between major Mexican drug cartels and street gangs.

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